


drive slow

by trashmouthuris



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: (with angst if you squint), Fluff, M/M, Pining, Songfic, Teenage Losers Club (IT), eddie yearns (tm), richie kind of takes something seriously for once, there are 46 commas in this i am so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-20 19:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21286793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashmouthuris/pseuds/trashmouthuris
Summary: eddie doesn't want his late night drives with richie to end.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Kudos: 44





	drive slow

**Author's Note:**

> this fic is based off the song drive slow by addie, i highly recommend listening to it not even to go with the fic just because it's such a beautiful song

eddie sits in the passenger seat of richie’s truck, watching as the moon stayed fixed in the same spot in his window despite their slow crawl through the streets of derry. eddie wonders why richie doesn’t drive as recklessly as he knows he could – the streets are empty, no one to stop them tearing straight through them, taking their shot out of their shitty small town. but tonight richie takes it slow. he’s quiet for once, letting soft music fill the space between them instead. (he made the cassette tape with songs specifically for nights like this, not that he would ever tell eddie that.)

richie got his license as soon as he legally could. he wanted that extra bit of freedom that he couldn’t get with just his bike, being able to pick up all his friends and take them anywhere they wanted, anytime they wanted. while no one was surprised about him wanting his licence, they were fairly shocked when he passed both his permit test and driver’s test on his first try. the fact that he was actually quite a good driver made it all the more obnoxious when he decided to drive recklessly just for the fun of it. (eddie secretly loves the thrill of driving way too fast with the windows down, watching richie’s curls whip his face as he laughs. not that he would ever tell richie that.)

it’s the summer before senior year, and even though richie and eddie have been going on these late night drives for over a year now, something feels different to eddie. sometimes they have a destination – usually it’s taking eddie home from the diner or the clubhouse – but tonight it seems as if richie is driving aimlessly. eddie almost thanks him for it. he tears his gaze from his window and instead studies the boy behind the wheel.

richie is lazily focused on the road, his fingers tapping his steering wheel lightly to the beat of the song. the streetlights outside shine through the windows, periodically illuminating the shine of his dark hair and reflecting off his thick glasses. eddie notices that his style has changed quite a bit since middle school. he still owns quite a few hawaiian shirts, but now they’re accompanied by dark band tees and denim jackets, ripped jeans instead of his old khaki shorts. he’s started wearing bracelets, too, various multicolored friendship bracelets gifted to him by beverly and what eddie is pretty sure is just a random leather cord that richie wrapped around his wrist and tied.

as he looks over at richie, eddie is hit with a sudden wave of adoration. he realizes how much he loves spending time with richie, how much he loves his stupid jokes and voices.

how much he loves richie.

eddie is only partly surprised when he comes to this realisation. he knows that he’s always felt this way when he looks at richie, he just never put a face to a name, so to speak. but he’s watched (and been teased by richie for watching) enough romantic comedies and “chick flicks” to know what these butterflies in his stomach mean. he’s also glad to finally have a reason for those butterflies, for the way his face heats up when richie touches him or jokingly flirts with him. thankfully richie is still paying attention to the road in front of him so he doesn’t see whatever stupid lovestruck expression eddie is sure is plastered on his face.

he tries not to think about how much this love is going to kill him. despite all the pinching of his cheeks and the nicknames, eddie knows that richie could never love him back. not to mention the small town they live in. he’s seen how boys like him get treated in derry.

“i can feel you staring at me, you creep,” richie says without having to look at eddie. there’s no malice behind it, though; he says it with a small smile. his voice is quiet, as if he doesn’t want to disturb the comfortable near-silence they’d been sitting in for most of the drive. eddie feels his face heat up, but he doesn’t say anything. instead he turns his gaze to the window in front of him, and then to his hands in his lap, wishing richie was holding them.

“what are you thinking about?” richie asks, now turning to look at eddie for a moment. eddie stays quiet for a bit. he certainly can’t tell richie what he was really thinking about, so he picks something further back in his mind that had been bothering him.

“do you remember a few summers ago when we were in the clubhouse and stan asked if we would all still be friends when we grew up? and everyone said we would?” it takes a second for richie to nod, because in all honesty, he didn’t remember it at first. he didn’t remember a lot from that summer. when that was all he offered, eddie continued. “do you think we’ll still be friends after we graduate?”

“of course we will, eds. we’ve been through too much not to.” as if he had read eddie’s mind, richie takes one of his hands off the wheel and places it on top of one of eddie’s. eddie hopes richie doesn’t hear the way his breath hitches. it’s not until richie stops the car that eddie notices that they’ve arrived at his house. he makes no moves to get out.

“i’m not ready for it to be over,” he says, so quietly richie almost doesn’t hear him. he almost expects richie to make a joke about it, saying he would pick him up tomorrow to take him to the arcade, but richie knows what he means. they only have one year of high school left and the chances of them going to the same college are miniscule. richie has tried not to think about it, but both of them know their days together are numbered.

when eddie turns to look at him, he begins to second guess his doubts from earlier – he sees the way he looks at richie reflected back at him. he’s still holding his hand. eddie’s eyes scan richie’s face, looking for some kind of sign that he might be right. when richie smiles at him, eddie takes it as a sort of confirmation.

“i’ll see you in the morning, eds.” there’s an _i love you_ in there somewhere, but richie doesn’t need to say it. he knew well enough.

**Author's Note:**

> i've been trying to write longer stuff since most of my fics are in the 500-600 word range so i feel like this one turned out really good? part of me feels like richie seems ooc in this but at the same time it kind of feels right within this situation but if you disagree feel free to yell at me  
speaking of yelling at me, come yell about reddie/stozier/streddie with me on tumblr @trashmouthuris


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